Taiwan Quick Take: No speech for president

After cross-party negotiations yesterday, the legislature decided not to invite President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to give a state of the nation speech about the cessation of the National Unification Council and unification guidelines. Last week Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (陳唐山) had conveyed the president's wish to make such a speech to the legislature. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party caucuses, however, insisted on the president also hearing legislators' opinions and answering questions after he gave his speech. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus was against the idea. DPP caucus whip Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) said the Constitution places no obligation on the president to answer legislators' questions.